House Sylar
House Sylar of Westwind is one of the great houses of Westeros and rules the lands west of the Neck known as the Steppes of Sylar. The sigil of House Sylar is the bull of the steppe, one left and right facing the Great West Star in the center. Their colors are white and deep purple. History Dawn Age According to legend, the origins of House Sylar and the Men of the Steppe is said to have occurred during the Dawn Age as a result of the war between the First Men and the Children of the Forest. When the children of the forest retreated to their formidable fortress of Moat Cailin and saw that this stronghold may fall, their greenseers used the ancient sorcery known as the hammer of waters in an attempt to sunder Westeros in two. However their magic failed them and instead the land became flooded with water, eventually becoming the boggy marshland known as the Neck. The First Men who had settled near Moat Cailin fled to the west under the guidance of a legendary clan leader known as Sylar the Seer, who had foreseen the events that would occur. Sylar led his own clan and those who would believe him west by following the light of a bright star, soon to be known as the Great West Star. Sylar's Journey Following this star, Sylar led these First Men further west until they reached the mighty green fork river which speared the Neck and ran all the way into the Fever River of the North. West of this river was a great forest which was said to be a dreary and dark place of horror, being the original reason why these clans never ventured west. However through the might and bravery embodied in Sylar and the fear of his premonition of what was to occur on the Neck, the First Men crossed the green fork and entered the forest. The forest proved to be a place of horrors as the stories told but Sylar pushed his people to continue the move westward. One of the clans following Sylar however, Clan Morrel, saw the forest and the river it sat near as a great point of defense and chose to make it their home. The Morrels became great woodsmen and tamed the horrors and blight of the forest, dominating it and making it their own. The forest was henceforth renamed Morrelwood. Another clan following Sylar, Clan Bragg, chose also not to continue westward but to travel south of the forest to find what lands could be claimed as their own. Sylar gave these clans his blessing and continued to move west with his own people and the remaining clans that were with him. Leaving the forest, the travelers finally entered the land known as the steppe. To the clan of Sylar and those others who followed him, the steppe was an appealing grassland which rose in elevation the further one traveled west and seemed to expand for miles on end teeming with game and land to be settled. Sylar settled to the central north of this land and founded the colony of Westwind near an inlet connecting to the sea. The remaining clans of Gramm and Lotte, traveled further west to the steppes end and made their homes on the north and south ends of the peninsula. As the last of the lands were settled, news had spread that the Children of the Forest wreaked havoc upon the lands near Moat Cailin and caused the hammer of waters to flood the neck. Sylar the Seers premonition had come true and all the clans that had settled the steppe hailed him as their savior. All lands west of the green fork became known as the Steppes of Sylar in honor of this legendary figure. Age of Heroes During the age of heroes, the men of the steppe prospered and their settlements expanded into large towns and fortified cities. The original clans of the steppe grew into first men kings and fought over dominion of their ancestral lands. The eastern most houses of the steppe, Morrel and Bragg, pushed their dominion across the green fork into the marshlands of the Neck. The Morrels and Braggs allied in the cause of war with the Marsh King. The war was known as the War of Vain for the reason that many battles were fought but no victor was determined. The western most houses of the steppe, Lotte and Gramm, fought over dominion of the peninsula in which their ancestors had settled. The Lotte's ruled on the northern tip of the peninsula from their ancestral seat of The Charcove, a small fortified castle and port town on a freezing bay. The Gramm's ruled on the southern tip of the peninsula from their ancestral seat of Greatguard, a large fortress port city which benefited from much trade with the southern kingdoms of Westeros. The Lotte's and Gramm's fought a never ending war for the steppes peninsula. During this age, House Sylar ruled the largest most central kingdom of the steppe from their seat of Westwind. Their power was known far and wide across the steppe and the lesser houses would dare not quarrel with them out of respect for the ancestor and father of all the steppe, Sylar the Seer. The Sylars did not care to expand their territory for they already owned much of the Steppe but instead hoped to bring peace and unity to a bleeding land. Unification of the Steppe As the lesser houses continued to quarrel with each other and houses outside of the Steppe, the Ironborn rooted themselves on an island south central to the Steppe. The Ironborn knew that that Gramm's and Lotte's were weak from a never ending war and took the opportunity to blockade and raid the lands surrounding their port cities. Hundreds of Ironborn longships surrounded the peninsula and for years the pirates besieged the Charcove and Greatgaurd. The Houses Lotte and Gramm were forced inside of their keeps and their garrisons slowly withered from starvation and lack of supplies. For the Gramm's all hope was coming to an end, their fortress city of Greatguard was reaching its limits and the current King Grant Gramm was ready to open its gates to save his people from starvation. The Charcove in the north of the peninsula fared slightly better than its southern counterpart for the reason that they were farther away from the Iron Islands, however the Lotte's could endure only a few months more. King Seron II Sylar could no longer bare to watch his brothers of the steppe decay and decline into nothing. He summoned a great host of 30,000 men to West Wind and called the steppe to war. On the day King Grant Gramm planned to bend the knee to the Ironborn and yield his fortress, drums were heard in the distance and 30,000 men from Westwind crashed into the Ironborn and broke the siege of Greatguard. King Seron II Sylar led the vanguard upon his mount, a great steppe bull which was the sigil of House Sylar, and crushed the Ironborn with his mighty flail which was the favored weapon of his house. The Sylars routed the Ironborn and pushed the remaining pirates in the southern peninsula back into the sea. The Gramms opened the city gates for the Sylars and hailed them as heroes. For the salvation of his city, King Grant Gramm removed his crown and knelt before King Seron II Sylar stating "For doing what I could not have done, great is your glory and in unity is power, my crown is yours". The Sylars left 5000 men to replenish the garrison of Greatguard and with their new vassals they marched to the north end of the peninsula to render aid to the Charcove. With overwhelming numbers the Sylars swamped the Ironborn and sent the pirates fleeing to their longships. The battle for the Charcove lasted no longer than a day. For the saving of their ancestral seat and house, the Sylars required of the Lottes their fealty and allegiance. The Lottes were hesitant however, not for the reason that they did not have gratitude towards Sylars but by joining this new alliance, they would also have to ally with their arch rivals the Gramms. King Serron II would no longer tolerate the petty conflict of the peninsula houses, he forced a truce between the Gramms and Lottes and drew boundaries that were fair and honorable. With the new alliance of the eastern and central steppe under House Sylar, the Ironborn grew furious at the loss of the peninsula. In anger and with revenge in their hearts, the Ironborn launched a great raid into the heart of the central steppe. The army of House Sylar was still making its way back down from the north, when in this surprise raid the pirates looted and sacked many villages. The Ironborn plundered the lands of the central steppe and had their eyes on the walled town of Bull's Crown, which was rich in agricultural resources as well as minerals. The Ironborn set the surrounding fields and farms aflame and the town's small garrison quickly failed. The pirates entered the town and robbed it of its resources and stole away many of the woman and children as thralls and saltwives. They entered the keep of the master of the town and slaughtered him along with his entire family. The battle was however not over, as the iron born were beginning to set the town to the torch, three sons of an elderly watchmen named Avoss, rallied the remaining soldiers of the town and any men who could fight against the raiders. The sons of Avoss and the men they rallied fought in what would be known as the Battle of the Sear, for they fought for their home and fields which were scorched and searing in flame. Surprised and confused, the raiders were beat back out of Bull's Crown and were slaughtered in their retreat by the army of House Sylar who had finally returned to the central steppe. For their service to the crown and their home, King Serron II honored the sons of Avoss by granting the eldest lordship and dominion over the territory of Bull's Crown. However the battle had cost the people of the town, for their home and fields were destroyed in flame. King Serron II understood their plight and ordered the reconstruction of the town and a great keep which would be known as the Sear in honor of the battle. From this battle the Sylars gained a new ally and loyal vassal, House Avoss of the Sear. In order to purge the steppe of the reavers and raiders for good, King Serron II called his new banners from the central and western steppe to band together and take the island to the south in which the Ironborn had fortified. Departing from Greatguard, three hundred ships full of bloodthirsty men of the steppe sought revenge on the pirates who plundered their lands. A deadly sea battle occurred where both ships from the Iron Fleet and the Steppe smashed into each other. Tho the Ironborn were indeed masters of the sea, the men of steppe were smoldering with anger and the fury of the bull shattered the Iron fleet. After the battle at sea, the men of the steppe stormed the island and the steward of House Sylar, Oren Pretta led the vanguard and wreaked havoc upon the keep and laid waste to it's masters. For his service to the steppe and his valor in battle, Oren Pretta was released from stewardship and House Pretta was elevated to lordship and governance of the island conquered. The island was renamed Southgate and a formidable castle was to be constructed as the new home of House Pretta. The lands of the steppe were finally reconquered and the Ironborn threat had been vanquished. The people of the steppe, soon hailed Serron II as Serron the Uniter and Serron the Great and great indeed was his glory and the glory of his house. But King Serron was not done, he would not forget that the eastern houses of Morrel and Bragg fought relentlessly against the Marsh King to expand their dominion into the lands of the neck. King Serron sent ravens to Nightmare the ancestral seat of House Morrel and Craftmark the ancestral seat of House Bragg, that in return for their fealty and allegiance he would give them the Neck. The kings of House Morrel and Bragg, arrived at Westwind to accept Serron's offer and bend the knee. The very day that House Sylar accepted the new vassals, the King of Winter, Rickard Stark slew the Marsh King and took his daughter to wife and his lands to submission. Serron II now faced a hard decision, to lose thousands of lives in a war against the powerful kings of winter over the Neck or lose his honor and face open rebellion of houses newly submitted to his realm. Serron chose war, his word and honor meant more to him than his life. Unified and flowing with power, the Steppes of Sylar marched under the banner of the bull to face the great wolf of the North and enter a vicious war that would last decades. War for the Neck With the Marsh King slain and his kingdom annexed by the North, the Kings of Winter now held a very strong grasp on the Neck. When word spread that the steppe had unified under the bull and marched to claim the Neck, they refortified their ancient fortress of Moat Cailin and prepared for the ensuing bloodshed. Moat Cailin was the key to controlling the Neck and would be the greatest challenge for the men of steppe. The steppe was known for its military strategies and especially its use of charioteers, pulled by either horse or bull, which were deadly in the open field. However unlike the easily traversed rolling grasslands of the steppe, the Neck was a marshland full of swamps and wetlands which rendered the charioteers useless. Tho the Neck was the land of their origins, it had been transfigured by the Children of the Forest and the men of the central and western Steppe would now have to wage war unlike ever before in an unfamiliar land. Serron the Uniter and an army of 40,000 camped at Nightmare the ancestral seat of House Morrel which bordered the Neck. As they began their march towards Moat Cailin, Houses Morrel and Bragg led the vanguard and burned scores of villages of the Crannogmen in their path. The Eastern houses of the steppe had already tasted battle with the inhabitants of the Neck for decades before the conquest of Serron II and were eager to finally see these lands come under their dominion. When the army approached Moat Cailin, a great host of the North met them under the great towers and walls of the castle. The armies faced off, no terms were stated, no words were exchanged between the two ancient houses, the field was silent. Noble Houses Having the least territory of the great houses on the mainland of Westeros, House Sylar has six loyal vassals. Though the number of vassals is small compared to the other great houses, each noble house of the Steppe controls a much larger army and resources than the combined force of numerous petty vassals of other kingdoms. Through this consolidation, each noble house provides a valued purpose and responsibility to the welfare of the entire Steppe. House Morrel of Nightmare: House Morrel was the first of the original clans fleeing the Neck to stop and settle in the great forest bordering the Steppe. The Morrels claimed the forest and the river it sat near as their own and made their dominion over the legendary horrors and beasts that dwelled within it, eventually renaming it Morrelwood. House Morrel is charged with the duty of being the "Gate of the Steppe" and has held true to their position for centuries. Though numerous invaders have tried throughout the history Westeros, none have entered the Steppe without the leave of the Morrels. Sigil: The sigil of House Morrel is a wraith being slain by a great-sword on green and white, representing the Morrels dominion over the Morrelwood and the horrors that lie within it. House Bragg of Craftmark: House Bragg was the second of the original clans fleeing the Neck to stop and settle south of the Morrelwood where the rolling elevation of the Steppe began. House Bragg is charged with the duty of being the "Engineers of the Steppe", for the Braggs were always noted technologists, miners, smiths, and craftsman. During times of war the Braggs would provide great siege machines, weapons, armor, and new innovations that always aided in the Bull's victory on the field. Sigil: The sigil of House Bragg is two arrow fletchings on black and grey, representing the Braggs skill in craftsmanship. House Avoss of the Sear: House Avoss is one of two houses formed during the "Unification of the Steppe". When the Ironborn had burned and pillaged the fields and town of Bull's Crown, three sons of an elderly watchmen named Avoss had taken up arms and rallied any men who still had the will to fight. The three sons of Avoss routed the Ironborn and saved what remained of their city scorched and seared in flame. Sigil: The sigil of House Avoss is three flames descending on red and orange, representing the three son of Avoss who had saved a town under fire. Category:Great Houses Category:Great houses